How Research shapes an organization’s engineering; and ultimately BUSINESS
I am explicitly taking the example of OLA jumping into the 2 wheeler electric mobility domain to explain the research and its associated advantages.
PS: this article is mostly about electric vehicles.
Research begins when we want to know something. Research is concerned with increasing our understanding. It provides us with the information and knowledge needed for problem-solving and making decisions.
Research is sometimes divided into pure (or basic) and applied research to distinguish between research that is carried out to further our knowledge and that which seeks to apply pre-existing knowledge to real-world problems.
An EXAMPLE of applied research: Ola mobility institute is researching a lot on the current EV market and focusing and taking advantage of policies made in the domain of sustainable energy and the electric future.
Also, Ola mobility institute spreading the word of knowledge in the domain of mobility by publishing a #TIL story on daily basis on Medium itself.
Research for problem-solving
Problem-solving can be broken down into several separate components, each of which requires information and analysis:
- Identification of problems
- Diagnosis of causes
- Identification of potential solutions
- Decision for action
- Monitoring and evaluation of action and outcomes
Identification of problems :
We see various problems occurring in the Electric Vehicles domain-like —
- Reliance on battery imports.
- Range anxiety among consumers.
- Lack of charging infrastructure.
- The high price of EVs currently.
- Lack of options for high-performance EVs.
Diagnosis of causes
Causes for each of these (as far as I’ve researched*) are:
- Reliance on battery imports: We rely on battery imports because not many startups in India make batteries for EVs and not even one giant automobile company manufactures batteries at scale.
- Range anxiety among consumers: We have been facing range anxiety mainly due to the lack of charging infrastructure and the lack of idea of reusable batteries. ola
- Lack of charging infrastructure: India has around 650 charging stations in 2018, whereas China had over 456,000 charging points in the same year, according to the reports.
- The high price of EVs currently: Some of the legit EVs from so-called giant companies cost around $39,000 and mostly around that range. The average cost of electric cars in India too is around INR 13 Lakh, much higher than the average INR 5 Lakh for economical cars run on traditional fuel.
- Lack of options for high-performance EVs: Currently there are not many high-performance EVs in the market, the available ones are mostly high priced ones by big brands (outside India).
Identification of potential solutions
- Reliance on battery imports: We have so many startups coming up in the EV domain that now we can rely on rechargeable batteries and charging at home and workplaces.
- Range anxiety among consumers: Possible solutions I see to beat range anxiety are to buy a plug-in hybrid or to install a home charging station. People have been worrying around too much and the best way out is the trusted brands putting out their EV models and run them on batteries charged at home.
- Lack of charging infrastructure: Almost all-electric vehicles, especially those for personal use, are charged at night when they are parked. So pretty much every morning, you have a fully charged vehicle available. Unlike petrol or diesel cars, which are refilled only at designated stations and with a frequency much less than daily.
- The high price of EVs currently: The biggest solution to a whopping price of EVs is the electric 2 wheelers, OLA is working on one already. Electric bikes also have low maintenance costs and require fewer maintenance activities in comparison to eco-friendly cars. We can achieve last-mile connectivity through this too.
- Lack of options for high-performance EVs: Many startups are focusing on advancing the performance of their electric vehicles, they need people’s trust to up their sales. A lot can happen with mainstream marketing like TV ads and big booster launches. Though, money is a big problem.
- I do believe that in the long run, India will develop a distributed power grid faster than other countries because, just like mobile phones, not enough grid connect exists at present and these EVs with their batteries would also serve as inverters and could be easily combined with solar panels or windmills to store energy.
- Also as far as the big names are concerned, I see a lot of new and nimble startups especially in the 2 & 3 wheeler segment which will develop and flourish. However, I do fear that once the EV movement takes off the large companies will try to buy out the startup and spoil the market by stifling innovative new technologies. This will be bad for the consumer. *one side effect!
Decision for action
- cant put this into points***
The biggest factor when buying a vehicle is brand. No major two-wheeler brand has gone aggressively electric in India.
A lot of people buying two-wheelers are investing their several months of salary.
Do they have concerns like what is the reputation of the company? What if the vehicle breaks down? Where will I get spare parts and service? This lack of trust in new brand names and lack of assurance of continued support is what makes people stop in tracks while switching to electric two-wheelers.
This is where big brands come into the picture. The moment the big brands will make and market electric two-wheelers, the picture will drastically change. Two-wheelers are the correct entry point for the penetration of electric vehicles in society. This is exactly how it began in China. The Chinese government made a conscious decision to switch all two-wheelers to electric almost a decade back and as of today, there are very very few petrol two-wheelers in China. Ola is going to make a revolution in this very domain if the ad campaigns are done right!
Research is surely driving OLA’s success and making them market viable. CHEERS!
some articles I took inspiration from
Thank you for reading!
